ONE DAY IN FORMENTERA (BOOT TRIP FROM IBIZA)
One of my absolute favorite days during our trip to the beautiful Spanish island of Ibiza (find the complete vegan travel guide for one amazing week in Ibiza here) was without a doubt our idyllic day trip to the nearby island paradise of Formentera.
After a quick 30-minute ferry ride across the turquoise Balearic Sea, we arrived in Formentera's port of La Sabina and immediately felt transported to a tropical beach paradise. Formentera is the smallest and most pristine of the Balearic Islands, with stunning white sand beaches, crystalline waters, and a relaxed bohemian vibe. We spent our day beach-hopping, soaking in the sun on the soft sand and swimming in the crystal clear water.
Find out how to get to Formentera and around, where to go for delicious (vegan) lunch and which beaches we enjoyed the most in my travel guide.
Lots of love,
Magda
How to get to Formentera
The easiest way to get to Formentera is via the direct ferry from Ibiza. You can choose from several providers, just check which harbour is best for you. We decided for Ibiza Sea Cruises as they left to good times at a good spot (Figueretas or Playa d'en Bossa) and their prices seemed fair (30€ at the point of writing for a return tickets, kids until 6 years travel for free). Everything was very well organised and we booked a return ticket upfront online. The ferry ride was very calm, comfortable and took around 30 - 40 minutes.
I would suggest to book your ticket in advance, however, the provider even offered free cancellation in case your travel plans are changing last minute!
Getting around Formentera
Depending on how long you’re actually staying in Formentera and what you want to see, you basically have three options.
First, you could get a car/ taxi - however you don’t really need it for one day in my opinion.
Second, you could rent a bicycle, which is obviously the cheapest but also hottest option. However, with enough sun screen you can take a nice ride until for example the national park (around 15 minutes) and if that is everything you want to do and see in Formentera, then a bicycle is actually more than enough for your day.
Third option is to rent a small motorbike (50cc), which you’re allowed even without a motorbike license. Still you should feel save driving a motorbike before driving it (I even got my motorbike license before the trip as I needed it anyways for Bali). Like this, you’re quite flexible in getting around the island, so we also were able to explore the cute little town of San Francisco Javier for lunch.
Recommendations for Formentera:
Enjoy the beautiful beaches
The first and foremost reason why everybody is going to Formentera are the beautiful beaches, right? We didn’t get disappointed as the beaches especially around Platja de Ses Illetes are simply one of the most beautiful one’s I’ve ever been to! The water is crystal clear, there are many different smaller beaches available and you can also take a long beach walk to explore the full area. The only thing to consider is that there is literally no shade (no trees etc.) so bring an umbrella or put on enough sunscreen (see last tip).
Explore San Francisco Javier
For lunch we decided to drive around the island a bit and ended up in the cute little village of San Francisco Javier. There were a lot of (less overpriced than on the beach) restaurants and we got delicious Italian food at Pasta Fresca Il Pirata Del Tortello. There is also a nice Gelateria (Italian as well) called La Mukkeria. Our plan B for the lunch spot would have been Mama Carmen, which also seemed like a great place for a nice lunch.
Bring enough water & sunscreen
I had to realize this on the hard way as I thought “I’m already so tanned, I will be ok”, but especially on the scooter the sun is just too intense so make sure to put on enough sunscreen. Also bring enough water and some snacks, as the only restaurant in the area “El Tiburón” is ridiculously overpriced, so we got water for 7€ - the most expensive water I’ve ever had I guess!
further tips for Formentera (which we didn’t check out):
Blat Picat Bar de Vegetals (vegetarian restaurant)
Sa Panxa (mediterranean restaurant)
Sa Vinya (cafe/ lunch spot)
La Mola (viewpoint/ mountain peak)
Calo Des Mort (beach)
Far de la Mola (lighthouse)
